The panicky mom’s guide to removing ticks from kids — yikes!

You may be wondering just how to remove ticks from your kids, should the need arise. And we don’t blame you one bit. With the warmer weather comes longer days spent outdoors and kids running barefoot in the yard. Also, increased warning about ticks and Lyme disease thanks to a booming tick population this spring. Eek!

So to put anxious minds at ease — including our own — we’ve done the research for you and put together this handy guide to removing ticks from kids.

Besides, your look of tick-induced terror won’t help your child chill (trust me, BTDT), so let’s make a pact to do our best to stay as low as possible on the freak-o-meter for the good of all involved.

However, you can find just the mini tweezer alone — also fantastic for splinters — grab it from a local drugstore or beauty shop.

3. Tweeze the Tick. (And seriously, tweeze only.)

Yes, the whole tweezing process is stomach-churning for everyone (I have never written about “mouth-parts” before and did not enjoy the experience), but old wives’ tales about tick removal are strictly out.

Painting the tick with nail polish or Vaseline and waiting for it to die and release its grasp can make the tick uncomfortable, causing it to puke its stomach contents straight into your kid’s skin. Grossed out yet?

Your goal is to remove the tick as quickly and efficiently as possible, and only proper tweezers can do that.

You want to use those sharp points to help grasp the tick at its head or mouth (but not its belly!) as close to your kid’s skin as possible. Then, with a steady hand and even pressure, slowly pull straight upward.

Don’t twist the tweezers, or yoink the tick too quickly; according to the CDC, that could break off the tick’s mouth-parts while they’re still in your kid’s skin (ew).

(If this does happen, though, the CDC suggests trying to tweeze out those mouth-parts too. And if you can’t? Leave it alone.)

4. Clean the Bite Area.

Of course, be sure to clean the bite afterward. Simple soap and water does the trick, or you can use rubbing alcohol or an iodine scrub. Then, just let the skin heal.

(Remember to clean your own hands too!)

5. Save the Tick. (Sorry.)

As much as we want to kill anything that hurts our kids, resist the urge to crush that sucker!

(The tick, that is.)

Instead, seal it in a clear container or plastic bag and label it with the bite date and location, just in case your doctor needs this information and wants to see the offender too.

Now, if your child develops symptoms of Lyme disease like a rash that may or may not be accompanied by symptoms like a headache, aches, chills, fever, fatigue or swollen glands (unlikely, but, hey, us panicky moms like to be prepared), the testing of the tick itself is important!

It will help your pediatrician and your local health department identify its species, and determine if it carries the bacteria, and whether your child needs to be put on antibiotics.